A new apartment analysis by RentCafe has revealed renters living in the Houston area can get some of the largest apartments in Texas for just $1,500 a month.

Houston renters can get the 10th largest apartments statewide – spanning 983 square feet – for a $1,500 monthly budget. For added context, the average size of Houston apartment is only 881 square feet, which would cost about $1,345 a month.

The study examined data from RentCafe's sister site, Yardi Matrix, to determine the average size and price per square foot for a $1,500 monthly budget in 200 of the largest American cities. According to the study's findings, the national average size of an apartment only spans 729 square feet for a $1,500 monthly price tag.

Over in the neighboring suburb of Pasadena, renters can get the sixth-largest apartments in Texas for the same budget, at a spacious 1,133 square feet.

In comparison to RentCafe's 2023 study, Houston-area renters are saddled with doing more with less when it comes to the spaciousness of their apartments and the size of their budgets. Pasadena residents previously were able to find 1,180-square-foot apartments for $1,500 a month last year, while Houstonians were able to find 997-square-foot apartments for the same amount of money.

In the national ranking of the largest U.S. cities with the greatest average apartment space, Wichita, Kansas claimed the No. 1 spot with apartments spanning 1,359 square feet. Houston made it into the top 25, coming in at No. 22 nationally. Pasadena ranked No. 18 in the national comparison of the top 100 small U.S. cities.

Houston renters may be more satisfied to live in the far-flung suburb of Conroe, which recently ranked as the No. 31 best suburb for renters nationwide. RentCafe says the average apartment size in Conroe is 920 square feet for only $1,357 a month as of March 2024.

Apartment sizes around Texas
For the second year in a row, Austin is the worst offender in Texas with the smallest apartment space for a $1,500 monthly budget. Austin renters have to make do with an average apartment size of 759 square feet, which is a 284-square-foot difference from Houston. Austin (once again) is at the bottom of the list in the overall analysis of Texas cities, and ranked No. 63 in the national comparison.

Renters in the Rio Grande Valley city of McAllen are still getting the most bang for their buck with the best price per square foot in Texas for the second consecutive year. McAllen renters can find 1,423-square-foot apartments for just $1,500 a month. Brownsville (located 60 miles east of McAllen) is home to the third-largest apartments in Texas for the same budget, with a 1,285-square-foot average apartment size.

Across North Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth renters will notice a 103-square-foot difference between apartments, at 815 and 918 square feet, respectively. Residents can use their monthly budget more wisely in suburbs like Mesquite, with apartments covering 969 square feet.